


Curses

by Joking611



Series: Cari'ssi'mi Drabbles [31]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Cari'ssi'mi, F/F, Normandy-SR2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 08:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16970997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joking611/pseuds/Joking611
Summary: Liara is finished working late, and does not want to go to bed alone





	Curses

**Author's Note:**

> Started as part of the Mass Effect Fanfiction Writers Sunday Sprint on 9 Dec, 2018

 “...therefore I recommend against allocating resources to expand the eezo processing facility at this time.”

Liara added her digital signature, encrypted the file, and forwarded it to Hackett. She was pleased that the human accepted her counsel, while at the same time unhappy that she was forced to deny the majority of his requests.

Hackett was far down a path that Liara still hoped to avoid, desperation forcing one to take ever greater risks, despite knowing there was ever decreasing chance of return. For now at least, the need for additional eezo was less than the risk she would incur by placing more House T’Soni ships in a system where Reapers regularly patrolled.

It didn’t make it any easier for her to deny the human’s request.

She sat back in Shepard’s chair, briefly surprised as a yawn overtook her. Her eyes flicked to the chronometer, peeking out from behind an image of herself that felt like it had been taken a hundred years ago. Oh two hundred. She sighed in familiar frustration. The point of working in Shepard’s cabin was to encourage the commander to come to bed at a reasonable hour.

It was a proven approach, if she did say so herself.

Still, two in the morning with a distinct lack of Shepard was something that demanded action. Liara was exhausted, and the sole positive thing in her life over the last few months was not having to sleep alone unless she wished.

Tonight, she did not so wish.

“EDI?”

“Yes, Doctor T’Soni?”

“Where is she, EDI?”

EDI did not require additional clarification. “Shepard is in the cargo bay, Doctor T’Soni.”

Liara nodded in reflex. “Thank you, EDI.”

She warmed her tea from the teapot she’d brought up from the mess, taking a moment to add a pinch of  _ta_ _thys_ root and a spoonful of honey. She drew a slow sip before placing it on the desk.  She got up with a sigh, stepping down into the sleeping area of the cabin to collect her robe from where she’d left it on the couch.

She slipped it over her shoulders as she stepped back up, one arm through and then the other, pausing for her tea and the kettle as she passed the desk. The cabin’s hatch opened with a nudge of her elbow, and she stepped into the lift while still formulating this evening’s argument on how to get Shepard to come to bed.

 .o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o 

The lift opened onto the crew deck as she sipped her tea, revealing a somewhat surprised Major Alenko.

He pursed his lips for just the briefest of moments, but Liara caught the motion all the same.

“Doctor,” he acknowledged as he stepped back to make room for her to exit.

“Kaidan,” she greeted in response. “Good morning.” 

He nodded in reply before stepping into the lift. As officer of the watch, he was no doubt returning to the CIC.

Although she found the major to be both professional and competent, she was well aware that many things about her went against Kaidan’s sensibilities. The fact that she might roam the ship in a bathrobe for instance, was a sharp contrast to how he would never be seen publicly in anything less than full uniform.

Then there was the fact that the commander’s bondmate was the second officer aboard the Normandy, a warship that saw the highest-ranking Alliance officer aboard falling behind even the chief engineer in the shipboard chain of command.

He’d brought it up only once, not complaining so much as surprised that he hadn’t been bumped to XO upon coming aboard. Kaidan outranked even Shepard, and although she was the CO of record, he expected to be second only to her in the TO.

Shepard had put that idea to bed without any ambiguity.

 .o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o

Liara was prepared for whatever might come when she stepped into the cargo bay, her detour to the mess only taking long enough to drop off her teapot.

She’d barely taken three steps when she was startled by a screamed “FUCK!”

Her eyes swept the bay as she tried not to giggle. She saw Cortez first, another officer not known for sleeping through night watch. He raised his arms in a “Don’t ask me” gesture, even as he tilted his head towards Vega’s workbench.

She moved forward, stepping between the armory console and the procurement terminal, bringing Shepard into view. The human appeared to be striking her pistol with a hammer.

“ _SACRYA_!” She shouted, causing Liara’s heart to lurch in her chest, an embarrassed blush rising to her cheeks.

“Shepard!  _L_ _innerandi_ _laao_ _p_ _uam_ _!_ ” She yelled automatically in return, only realizing after the fact that she’d just chastised her bondmate for swearing.

“What??” An obviously frustrated Shepard spun around in confusion.

“I... apologize Shepard,” replied Liara as she closed the distance between them, coming in for a kiss from the bewildered human. “You caught me by surprise. That is a word I never expected to hear you say.”

“What?  _Sacrya_?”

Liara winced.

“You hear me swear all the time. How bad can it be?”

“Shepard, human profanity is laughable. They are mostly references to metabolic functions or reproduction, many of which are mundane, or have no equivalent for asari.”

“Purebood doesn’t seem to bother you, but I’ve heard a lot of other people get offended by it,” commented Shepard. 

“I admit, there was a time when it bothered me more than it does now, but your friend the justicar convinced me otherwise.”

“Really? I didn’t think the two of you would have a lot to talk about.”

“Once you get beyond the rigidity of the Justicar Code, the order provides a great deal of insight into asari of an earlier time. They have records and wisdom from periods before contact with the salarians, or even before spaceflight.”

“And that helped how?”

“As Samara pointed out, it was not that long ago that we were all pureblood.”

“Makes sense,” Shepard agreed. “But  _sacrya_?”

Liara winced again.

“That’s pretty adorable you know,” teased the commander.

“It is not a word that you should become comfortable using, Shepard!”

“Oh? And what word is that, again?” She waited a moment. “You can’t even say it, can you?” Her eyes widened. “Wait a minute. What did you yell at me? The translator missed it entirely.”

Liara sighed, knowing there was no way she was going to escape this one. “That it not surprising, it is a phrase in High Attena. It translates roughly to ‘That is inappropriate language for a maiden of your stature’.” She buried her face in Sarah’s neck in embarrassment.

Shepard chuckled. “And that’s something Benezia used to say?”

The warmth she felt grow in Liara’s face was her answer.

She gently pushed the asari away, lifting her chin to meet her eyes. “Are you the same person that kills Cerberus troopers without a second glance? I haven’t broken you with a single word, have I?”

“No, Shepard. But I have to ask, where did you learn it?”

“Aethyta,” she answered.

“Of course,” muttered Liara. “But I am surprised she would use such language in front of you.”

“Are you going to tell me what it means?”

“It is a derogatory comment, Shepard.”

“No kidding,” she snorted. “I had a pretty good idea in that regard.”

“It is used to refer to a person as being so distasteful, so heinous, that no one would choose to associate with them. That they are an exile, even when they are in the company of others.”

Sarah just blinked. “So? I can think of a lot of people like that.  _Asshole_.”

Liara rolled her eyes. “We are a communal species, Shepard. To experience isolation in any form is very difficult for us. To be considered unworthy of anything but sequestration...” she paused. “It is a powerful insult.”

“You used to go on your expeditions by yourself.”

Liara looked away. “I did not mind the isolation. I am,  _unusual,_ among asari.”

“You can say that again.”

“Besides, at the time, I did not feel that I had other options.” She kissed Sarah on the nose. “And that was also before I met you. Solitude no longer has the appeal for me that it once did.”

“I’m sorry, Liara.”

The maiden took a deep breath. “Don’t be. Those days are past.” Now she looked squarely at the human. “So, about Aethyta?”

“Yes?”

Liara’s eyes became hooded. “Shepard...”

“Look. This was before Hagalaz, before I knew Aethyta was your dad. It was back when I would go to Eternity hoping I might catch a glimpse of you when I crossed the trading floor.”

“I always knew where you were, Shepard. You only saw me when I wanted you to.”

“Right.” Sarah rubbed the back of her neck. “Anyway, Aethyta didn’t have any idea who I was...”

“She knew perfectly well who you were, Shepard.”

“AND didn’t seem to have all that high an opinion of me...”

“Because of our relationship.”

“OK. Anyway, one night, I was there kind of late, feeling more than a little sorry for myself,” she paused, possibly waiting for another interruption.

Liara put her hand on Sarah’s arm. “Go on.”

“Well, one of the waitresses dropped a bottle of something. I don’t know what it was. Salarian, I think. All I know was that it was expensive. I’d had a few drinks myself by that point, so I laughed.” 

“Yes?”

“Next thing I knew, Aethyta had her finger in my face, telling me that bottle was worth more than I’d ever be.” She smiled. “Hurt my feelings a little. We’d gotten off to a rough start, but I thought we were getting along.”

“And?”

“Then she kept yelling. That’s one of the things she called me.”

Liara’s face took an angry turn. “She did, did she?”

“Oh, she used lots of other words too. Did you want to hear them?” Shepard made a motion to start ticking words off on her fingers.

Liara raised her hands to prevent the onslaught of profanity. “Another time, perhaps. I am tired, and you should be resting as well.” She gestured to the hammer still in the commander’s hand. “But why were you using a hammer on your pistol?”

“This?” She held up the tool as if seeing it for the first time, before tossing it onto Vega’s workbench with a clatter. “It’s my Carnifex. Shaving mechanism warped. It can’t cut a clean grain off the ammunition block.”

“So you used a hammer?”

“Garrus said it couldn’t be fixed. ‘Poor QC on the heatsinks,’ he said. ‘Side effect of the war, quality’s gone to hell.’ Besides, that gun always did run hot.” She smiled a sad smile. “The weapons bench just threw a diagnostic error when I tried to repair it myself, so...” She shrugged. “I thought a hammer couldn’t hurt.”

Liara just closed her eyes at the illogic of Shepard’s behavior, explained as if it were the most rational thing in the world.

“Come with me, Shepard. It’s well past time for bed.” She tugged Shepard towards the lift.

“But what about my Carnifex?” Her arm was outstretched towards the workbench.

“We’ll get you another,” promised Liara as she turned the commander towards the rear of the bay.

“I need better heat sinks too.”

“I’ll take care of it.”


End file.
